


*OLD* Can You Keep A Secret [Chapter 1]

by Sydlee3



Category: Dangan Ronpa
Genre: M/M, Past Child Abuse, People seemed to like this so I'm just leaving it here, This is the original folks, it was one of those things that was a lot more canon in my head, super ooc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-26
Updated: 2016-01-26
Packaged: 2018-05-10 07:21:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5576488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sydlee3/pseuds/Sydlee3





	*OLD* Can You Keep A Secret [Chapter 1]

Kiyotaka Ishimaru had no idea how this stupid bear found out his most closely guarded secret, but the kid was scared out of his wits. How did he know? Lord knows his entire family had kept it hush-hush for the longest time.

He stuffs the slip with his deepest secret into his pocket, turns, and runs.

The panic sets in, and the small boy with the spiky black hair and piercing red eyes runs. That spiky black hair is a mess, ruffled by many fingers, and the piercing red eyes are clouded over with memories of bad days.

He managed to make it to his door before he collapsed, sinking to his knees in a manner of utter defeat. The tears began to flow, but he didn’t feel them. He didn’t feel much of anything really.

The first time Kiyotaka hadn’t seen it coming. He was six, for crying out loud. He had gotten a point of on a spelling test. It was only five points, but it was still an 80%. His father wasn’t having any of it, and struck the child across the face.

“Next time, you will do better. You will do better, or I will hit you again.”

The man had always been a bit distanced, and somewhat cold, but it had never been this bad. the boy cried, but his tears only strengthened his resolve. He would do better, prove to his father that violence wasn’t necessary.

The second time, he was seven. It was math this time, and he had done rather poorly on another quiz. A seventy percent. Four wrong answers.

It earned him four kicks to the stomach.

Ishimaru had coughed blood for hours after that, never really able to get over it’s bitter, coppery taste in his mouth. The taste of copper and salt, that reminded him an awful lot of tears.

It happened more frequently after that. A wrong answer here, a lower grade there.

Kiyotaka didn’t have any friends he could go to, (nobody liked him, which was understandable given his strict nature), and his family clearly wasn’t a help, (his mother didn’t even bother to treat his wounds afterwards). It left the poor kid with himself.

By the time he was in high school, he had managed to hide the bruises rather well. He used cheap makeup to hide the scratches, and the bruises around his chest were hidden by bandages.

No one was the wiser, until now at least. If his secret got out, his whole family’s honor would be at stake.

Kiyotaka didn’t even hear his classmate coming down the hallway until it was too late.

“Hey. Kiyotaka, is it? What’s the matter?”

The boy looked up, tears streaming down his face, and realizing that this was the first time anyone had asked him.

“O-Owada-kun? I am fine. Nothing is the matter. You are free to do as you wish.” The lie burned his throat.

“Hey, no need to be so formal. Mondo is fine. And people don’t cry for no reason, so something is clearly “the matter” here.”

“W-Well, Mondo-kun, I have sensitive tear ducts. I suppose that is all that is the matter.”

“Bullshit.” Mondo didn’t even wait a full second before replying in a deadpan voice.

“Please do not use such abusive language, Oowada-kun.”

“Hey. I live how I want.”

“Not in a school environment you don’t.” Ishimaru stood up, looking his classmate in the eye.

“Do you wanna go, punk?” Mondo sneered.

“I am not a punk!” Kiyotaka’s voice was starting to escalate.

“If you’re telling me what to do, then you’re a punk.” Mondo was grinding his teeth now, and Ishimaru was reminded of when his father used to do that. Always. Before the hit, there was that tightening of the jaw, and the grinding of the teeth, and then the hit. Usually to the gut.

The smaller of the two grimaced and shut his eyes, lost in the memory. “Please.” He managed to squeak out.

“Eh? What was that?”

“P-P-Please don’t hit me!” Ishimaru grinded out.

Mondo was taken aback, not sure how to respond to this kid. “Whaddya mean ‘Please don’t hit me’ I wasn’t gonna hit ya unless ya wanted to go. Which ya clearly don’t.”

Ishimaru opened his eyes in a panic, terrified by the information he just gave away.

“Please ignore that last statement. It was a habit.” Ishimaru opened his door, now totally uncomfortable.

He slammed the door, completely unaware that a certain slip of paper had fallen out of his pocket, leaving Mondo to wonder what conditions you had to live in for that phrase to become a habit.

* * *

 

Mondo Oowada was not sure what to do with the new information. First, the kid had been a crying mess, then he was trying to boss him around, and then, he was spouting nonsense. Then, he tried to dismiss the whole conversation, and walk away. But he dropped the slip, and Mondo knew that he should just give it back to the kid, but his curiosity got the better of him. He flipped it over, and started to get angry.

It made sense, even to Mondo. He was no stranger to child abuse, but he was never a victim himself. His heart went out to the kid, and against every shred of common sense, Mondo Oowada knocked on Kiyotaka’s door.

The fact that the kid answered surprised him.

Mondo wrapped him in a hug, and he could feel the smaller boy tense against him, but it didn’t matter. Mondo didn’t know why, but he wanted this boy to feel better. Like he was worth something. Both of them stood like that, silent, Mondo sending out all available comfort to Kiyotaka.

Eventually, Ishimaru broke the silence. “Let us bear ourselves to each other.”

Mondo was taken aback, because first of all who even asks that, but he went nonetheless. The boys went off to the sauna together, to say what needed to be said.

It turns out the two had more in common than they thought. Both of them had felt loss, and had to pick up the pieces of their families. Mondo was more hardworking than Ishimaru had given him credit for, and Ishimaru was more relaxed than Mondo had first thought. He just didn’t like lazy people.

“When I was little, my father taught me to be hardworking, and to bring home excellent grades. If I didn’t, I would be punished. I accepted my punishment, and I didn’t learn until later that that was not the way to punish children.” Kiyotaka told Mondo of his struggle, and how he had learned to hide the bruises, and Mondo waited patiently until he was finished.

“If I ever meet your father...” Mondo ground his teeth together, stopping immediately when he saw that it was putting Kiyotaka on edge. “Sorry, Kiyo. I just think you deserve a whole lot better than that. No one should hit their kid. ever.”

“It’s fine, Oowa- Mondo. I just figured that you deserved an explanation.”

Mondo looked away, and at first, Kiyotaka thought he did something wrong. “Mondo? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. I just... I know your secret, but you don’t know mine.”

“I’m fine with that. You will tell me when you are ready, and when you do I will listen and comfort you accordingly.” Kiyotaka was determined in this. He would not push his... friend? No. Brother. He would not push his brother into telling him something he did not need to know.

“Yeah... But still. You deserve to know. I. I-I. Ugh. Isortofkilledmybrother.

“Um... Come again?”

“I killed my brother.” Mondo released the words like they were poison.

Kiyotaka Ishimaru was a passionate man. He cared about many things, and when he met people he made an impression. He also cared about people, even if they didn’t return the sentiment. So even when he saw this boy, who had walked in here wearing a biker jacket and a ridiculous pompadour, he had already been willing to protect him. This proved it.

Kiyotaka moved over next to Mondo, and put his arms around him. “Is that so.”

And so, Mondo began to tell the tale of Diaya Oowada. How his brother had died in his place.

Ishimaru listened, and when Mondo was done, he comforted him. “I don’t think your brother would want you to be sad, though. I think that he wanted you to forgive yourself.”

“Well, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s dead, and that it was my fault!”

“That’s just it, brother, it wasn’t your fault!” Kiyotaka wanted to comfort Mondo, and he hadn’t even noticed what he’d said.

“Did you just... call me brother?” Mondo looked confused, and Kiyo blushed.

“N-NO I DID NOT CALL YOU BROTHER” Ishimaru tried to run out of the sauna, but he moved too quickly and burned his skin. After a few more seconds, he passed out, and hit his face on the sauna floor, and his nose started to bleed.

“KIYO! I’ve gotcha! Don’t die on me now!” Mondo yelled, but Ishimaru barely heard the yelling over the sound of blood pounding in his ears.

When Kiyotaka woke up, he didn’t expect to be in his room, or to have Mondo Oowada at his side. But, nonetheless, when he woke up, there he was.

“Hey. You’re finally awake.”

“I am sorry to inconvenience you. How long was I unconscious?” Ishimaru was genuinely curious.

“About an hour. You passed out in the sauna after calling me brother.” Mondo looked nonchalant, but Kiyotaka could tell he was curious.

Ishimaru blushed at the memory. “Yes. I am sorry. I just... I grew up an only child, so I always wanted a sibling. I didn’t really have friends either, so I guess I sort of mentally thought of you as a brother? Anyways, ignore that. If you don’t mind, I’d like to get some sleep.”

**Mondo did dismiss himself, but not before giving Ishimaru a final hug. **


End file.
